Citadel's 'Little Shop of Horrors' - a love story of two flower-shop employees who work with a man-eating plant
That a low-budget horror movie from 1960 would be become one of the longest-running off-Broadway musicals and one of the most popular musicals of regional theaters is improbable, but true.
The film's director, Roger Corman, who shot "Little Shop of Horrors" in just three days on a set left over from another movie, didn't believe it would make any money, so he didn't even bother to copyright it. So, in 1982, the writing team of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman (who would go on to write Disney's "The Little Mermaid" and "Beauty and the Beast" were free to adapt it as a musical. In doing so, they found the humanity in the characters and created a piece that is as heartwarming as it's funny and just a little scary.
Citadel Theatre in Lake Forest, who is presenting "Little Shop of Horrors" from Sept. 17-Oct. 16, promises to put the humanity of its characters in the forefront.
Playing Seymour, the skid row flower-shop assistant who brings a man-eating plant into the shop, is Sam Shankman, a Chicago actor whose credits include the title role in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown at Drury Lane, as well as roles at Marriott Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Theater at the Center and many others. Shankman explains how the cast is digging deeper into their characters to find new insights that will help audiences connect with them.
Shankman says, "Our director, Matthew Silar has created a wonderful rehearsal room where we all get to ask ourselves why these characters do what they do. Audiences have memories of how these characters are usually played, and we are having a good time messing around with where those choices hold up versus where we want to try something new."
Danielle Pike, who plays Audrey - the coworker with whom Seymour falls in love, agrees.
"Matt leads with a collaborative energy and a fierce love for the story we are telling, and it is honestly inspiring to see the way he is bringing this unique vision to life. We are telling this story OUR way- with a depth and groundedness that you don't always see infused into such an iconic show. I'm so excited to bring Audrey to life with kindness, intelligence, complexity, strength and love."
A recent transplant to Chicago from Houston, Texas, Pike is enjoying the talent and energy of the Chicago theater community in her work at Citadel.
"The cast is quite honestly the most talented group of artists. It's just a blast to take on this story with them!"
Though the life-size man-eating plant that needs a daily supply of blood and flesh will provide suspense and thrills, the songs by Menken and Ashman are both comical and touching. The main love ballad, "Suddenly Seymour," has particular resonance for Shankman, who will sing it with Pike.
Shankman says, "I have a very fond memory of my father showing me the 1986 film when I was a kid, and I started obsessively listening to the Broadway cast album after that. Whenever 'Suddenly Seymour' came on, my dad would say 'oh, oh, this is my favorite song!'. So already, this show holds a lot of special memories for me."
Little Shop of Horrors will play the Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, from Sept. 17 through Oct. 16. Tickets and more information are available online at www.citadeltheatre.org or by phone at (847) 735-8554, ext. 1.